Both Pfizer and Moderna have developed COVID-19 vaccines that are considered to be extremely effective against the virus. | Gustavo Fring/Pexels
Both Pfizer and Moderna have developed COVID-19 vaccines that are considered to be extremely effective against the virus. | Gustavo Fring/Pexels
Michigan has begun to receive its first shipments of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for COVID-19, and the first wave of distribution has begun.
As COVID-19 cases and death totals continue to place stress on health care systems nationwide, the holiday surge has made the vaccines a vital component to recovery. Michigan has seen over 175 COVID-19 deaths in a single day on nine different occasions in December, the highest death rates since the pandemic began, reported Bridge Michigan. The 175-death threshold has only been encountered three times before this month, all of which occurred back in April.
Currently, 84,000 units of the vaccine are in the process of being delivered to 56 hospitals in 16 counties. The state distribution plan has set the vaccine deliveries in three stages, with the first group consisting of health care personnel and residents at long-term care facilities in Michigan. Long-term care facilities, specifically nursing homes, have been the location of over one-third of the COVID-19 deaths in Michigan, according to statistics provided by Bridge Michigan.
As the Moderna vaccine has just recently received FDA approval, projected units of the vaccine available for the state will be approximately 340,000 by the end of this year. In Michigan’s vaccination plan, other demographics prioritized for the vaccine include groups in racial and ethnic minorities, tribal communities, the elderly, the homeless, college and university students, those in correctional facilities and rural communities, among others.
The counties that have received the most units of the vaccine so far include Oakland (21,450), Wayne (7,800), Kent (11,700), and Macomb (6,825) counties, reported Bridge Michigan.
While daily case totals appear to be declining within the state, this downward trend is a first step to recovery for Michigan. As the holiday season continues, adhering to CDC health guidelines will prove vital in slowing the spread as vaccines begin to be distributed. It will take a combination of all preventative measures to gain control of the pandemic, so that life can resemble normalcy once again.
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